Combine quinoa, eggs, and salt in a bowl. Stir in chives, onion, cheese and garlic. Add breadcrumbs and let sit for a few minutes so they can absorb the moisture. Form patties with the mixture. In a heated skillet, add the olive oil and cook patties on medium low in the covered skillet for 7-10 minutes. Then flip, recover and cook 7 more minutes. I ate them with: Spinach and Arugula, walnuts, sweet cherries, basil and goat cheese.

Black Bean Salad

4 cups black beans

3/4 cup oven roasted tomatoes (recipe below)

3/4 cup raw peptias

sea salt

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve at room temperature.

Oven roasted Tomatoes

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/4 c olive oil

1 tbsp natural cane sugar or maple syrup

sea salt

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and place on a pan (I used a pyrex dish). Roast 45-60 minutes or until tomatoes shrink and carmelize. Can store in fridge for 1 week. These were scrumptious!

This one I made for Adam, because the Red Pepper flakes get super spicy.

Summer Linguine

2 medium zucchini, grated or chopped (I chopped, because I always seem to grate my finger instead of the vegetable)

sea salt

8 oz whole wheat pasta (I used rigatoni, not linguine, because that's what I had in the pantry)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

black pepper

Cook the pasta and drain. Heat the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper in a skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the zucchini to the skillet and cook until tender. Add the pasta and cheese and toss. Season with salt and pepper. I also added some chicken to this dish to add some protein and it was a-ok. :)

Now, the recipes below are ones I have planned for later in the week. But, I am so excited about them, I am going to post them now.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, mustard and 1/2 tsp salt. In a skillet over high heat combine olive oil and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are browned. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add rice to skillet and mix until combined. Add this mixture to the cottage cheese mix and stir until combines. Put in baking dish and sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover with foil and cook 30 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle with tarragon (or thyme). I am serving this with kale chips (see below) and flank steak.

Kale Chips (a.k.a the easiest recipe ever!)

1 bunch of kale, ripped into bite size pieces

pam (or olive oil)

sea salt

*you could also add red pepper flakes or coconut flakes for a twist

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl mix the kale and salt (or red pepper and coconut flakes). Coat lightly with oil. Spread evenly in one layer on a baking sheet. Bake for about 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Keep a close eye on these guys, they go from lightly browned to crispy black in 2.2 seconds. :)

Last meal of the week is:

Sweet Potato Ravioli with a light butter and sage sauce served with Roasted Asparagus

Now this ravioli is the best thing that ever hit earth (besides the kale chips, of course). There is a woman who has a booth at the Carrboro Farmers Market on Saturday mornings that makes homemade ravioli, pasta, family dinners, and sauce and her stuff is to die for! So, that is where the ravioli is from and the other stuff I am just going to wing and pray that it turns out.

Cross your fingers. :)

On a garden note, we planted 3 collard starts and 4 rainbow chard starts outside in our little garden a few days ago. Adam will not let me buy anything else, but we have extra soil, so I may sneak in some more fall starts in the near future. I am thinking arugula, spinach, more basil, and maybe some pumpkin or squash. What do you guys think? Do you have any other suggestions?

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

This isn't the normal post full of recipes, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

I was doing some schoolwork and turned around to these little fuzzies:

So cute! Unfortunately, this picture shows the fact that Lilly is a bit pudgy and Cliff is emaciated (or emancipated, as I wrongly state). We took Cliff to the vet last Saturday and the dum-dum weighed in at 8.3 lbs, which means he has lost 2 lbs!! That is 20% of his body weight. Seems to me the sure-fire way to lose weight is the Cliff-diet, jam packed with finicky eating, meows and moans. Anyway, after the vet, we went to the pet store and got this crazy nutri-cat tube of fatty, molasses-like syrup to put on top of his food. Thank god he loves it, but he is still looking a bit gaunt. But, I am confident that with the calorie dense syrup and some loving from lilly he will turn into a fattie. :)

Monday, July 25, 2011

If you read the last post, you are probably aware that my city-loving ass decided to go country. :) If you know me, then you know that following in the footsteps of farmers is not expected. So, let me explain myself...

As some of you know, I have been working on a film that follows a tomato seed from its origins at a seed company, to being planted at Eco Farm (in Carrboro, NC), to its harvest, to being sold at the Carrboro Farmers Market. Filming has opened my eyes to the farmers right down the street. It has also re-connected me to nature, our planet, and our food in ways I never thought were possible. Every time I went to the farm to film, a calming feeling would come over me and I felt like I was home (I know, super duper cheesy...). During filming, I witnessed farmers growing delicious food AND giving back to the land, which is an exchange that does not always occur, especially in the industrial agriculture system (don't get me started on that problem). I became interested and passionate about sustainable agriculture and local food. Since, I am often monotone and am not the most excitable person in the world, it was a miracle that I found something that truly evokes emotion in me. So, I knew that I was meant to nurture the land, grow food and share the power of food with others.

So, I figured this out, but then I had to break the news to my (mostly) supportive parents and boyfriend. I got a few laughs and a few expletives, but I think they know I am serious now. :) If not, they aren't getting any of my fresh produce in the future.

Now, my career plan has changed a bit, but I am more excited than ever.

Thank God, because I was getting worried I would float around in life without any true passion.

Plus, if I am eating (mostly) raw, then what is better than fresh from the farm produce? It definitely will make my dishes taste EVEN better.

Side note, I was super lazy this week in the cooking department. This was what I did:

bought kale and collards

cut up purple, white, green, yellow, orange, and red bell peppers

cut up an orange (yes, orange) watermelon and added orange mint to it

cut up cabbage, carrots, and zucchini cores

sliced zucchini

cut up a big ass cucumber

bought a box of multicolor cherry tomatoes

bought shittake mushrooms (from Eco Farm, they are DELISH)

poached chicken

And, the above ingredients will be mixed together in as many ways possible to make lots of salads, and crunchy dishes. :) Lazy, yes. Raw, mostly. Yummy, definitely!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Let me just start by saying that I am sorry to my blog and readers that I neglected you so long. Frankly, by the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is type and stare at a computer screen (I would much rather stare at a tv screen or a magazine).

So what has been happening, one may ask? A LOT OF DELINQUENCY!

Adam (the parent) is out of town and I (the friend) can not yell at this cute little guy, even if he just sneezed in my glass of water...

Seriously, though, raw food has been out the window. Not because of a lack of fresh produce. Not because of limited time to cook. But because I have wanted anything but raw food. Can you say ice cream, pizza, sushi (eh, kind of raw), etc.?

Creating a new lifestyle does take time, and maybe some failures. That being said, don't get too cranky at me yet. This week was raw week (besides the poached chicken or greek yogurt for protein). Here is what I have been eating today: Smoothie (a custom creation)

1 c blueberries and blackberries

2 inches ginger (which made this smoothie quite a zinger ;) )

about 3 c spinach

about 1 c fat-free plain (sour cream tasting) greek yogurt

Blend the berries and ginger first with a little water. Slowly add the spinach then the yogurt.

Marinated Mushrooms with Spinach (and I added some happy chicken)

3 Tbsp Nama Shoyu

2 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 1/2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp chili-garlic sauce

1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

4 c button mushrooms, sliced

8 c spinach leaves

1 c corn kernels (surprisingly delish raw)

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1 carrot, grated

4 green onions, sliced

3 tsp sesame seeds

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and add the mushrooms and toss to coat. Marinate for about 2 hours. Toss the other ingredients together in a large bowl and add the mushrooms. Eat!

For salad, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to mix. For the dressing, combine in a food processor and blend until combined. Pour over salad, mix well and serve. I added sprouts (alfalfa, that I sprouted myself), too!

Now that the food talk is over...Why is the title of the post enlightened?

Well, I have been in a very happy and content mood because I finally figured out how to mesh everything I like into a career. And, I found a new passion, that I know deep down in my heart is right for me. And it is...Farming.

Filming this movie has made me realize the beauty and huge reward in being able to nurture a little seed into a huge tomato plant. I want to be a part of that.

That's all I'm sharing until I organize how to make that dream into a reality (and hopefully a career). Have a good night, friends!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

That comment was slightly cynical. All has been well, just busy, like stupid busy. Between microbiology and this film I have hardly been able to get in my afternoon, the-heat-has-beat-me-to-a-pulp, nap in. No nap just means more coffee, and I am okay with that. :)

The local food film is going great, and I am getting a bit obsessed with it. We have started taping interviews and seeing it all come together is cool. There is still plenty left to do though.

Other things that have happened in the past month:

My super, awesome, wonderful brother, Tom, graduated from SCAD and won a few awards in the senior film festival (can we say outstanding artistic achievement?!?!). I felt kind of old during the whole thing, since I remember pretending our hockey sticks were light sabers and battling out in the lawn when we were younger. And, my pansy-ass may have gotten a bit teary, too. So proud of him, and I hope he is able to grace me with his presence in July before he moves out to LA to make the big bucks. :)

Our vegetable/herb garden is growing at a disgusting rate. I swear everyday I look outside they have grown INCHES overnight. It's sick. The herbs have been yummy in plenty of dishes and dressings, and I can't wait until we get our first veggie from the garden!

Adam drank, slept, and DJ'd his way through the month of may. I'm happy he gets a break.

The bass pumping duo (Ashley, Adam and myself) went to Starscape in Baltimore, MD. Craziness ensued.

Lilly and Cliff slept. A lot.

Duh, I cooked.

Here are the pictures:

Tom getting his award.

Starscape.

More Starscape.

Hard groovin'.

No joke: I walked out of the bathroom to these two hard loafers.

Lilly's new morning routine. Yep, thats the top of the kitchen cabinets.

Cliff's new hangout. I WILL be investing in a padded kitty helmet for him.

Last night was a MAJOR cooking extravaganza. Here's what was made:

Sushi because that was the bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb.

Corn, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad

6 ears of corn ($2 for 3 ears at Weaver Street!), cut off the cob, raw

6 tomatoes, sliced

1 cucumber, sliced

Olive oil, to taste

Garlic, to taste

About 10 basil leaves, chopped

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. To my surprise, the raw corn was AMAZING. It tasted cooked, even though it wasn't. Score!

Raw Kale Confetti Salad

1 giant head of kale, ripped into bite size peices

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ginger, grated

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and grated

lemon juice, lime juice, and salt, to taste

Put kale in a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil, ginger, and salt. Massage oil and salt into leaves and let it sit for 15 minutes. Add onion, pepper, carrot and toss. Drizzle lemon and lime juice over salad and mix.

Place rice in pot with water (stock) and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover, cook until liquid is absorbed. In a large skillet, saute leeks, ginger and garlic in oil for 3 minutes. Add mirin and continue sauteing until leek is soft. Add chicken (and I added some extra veggie stock) and cover. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Toss with rice. This has very good flavor, considering there is not a lot of ingredients. :)

Seared Tempeh with Dried Cherries and Pine Nuts over Arugula

8 oz tempeh

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup dried cherries

1 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 cups arugula (since that is not in season, I am mixing chard and kale instead)

1/2 cup pine nuts

Vinaigrette:

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

orange zest

salt and pepper

Slice tempeh in 1/4" strips and steam for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together and set aside. In a skillet, saute onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add cherries, mirin, and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Put tempeh in skillet and saute for 2 minutes. Drizzle 1 tbsp vinaigrette over tempeh and saute 2 more minutes. Flip tempeh and saute 2 minutes. Then drizzle with vinaigrette. Remove from heat and set aside. Put arugula in a bowl and top with tempeh mixture and pine nuts. :)

Daikon Carrot Salad with Cilantro and Peanuts

2 cups of julienned daikon

2 cups of julienned carrots

2 cups sliced napa cabbage (local at Weaver St :) )

1 jalapeno, seeded and julienned

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3/4 cup dry roasted nuts

Dressing:

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp grapeseed oil (I didn't have this, so I used more sesame instead)

2 tsp brown rice syrup

1 tbsp ume plum vinegar

1 tsp lime juice

sea salt

Add salad ingredients into a bowl and toss to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk dressing ingredients. Add over salad and toss to coat.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I am at school and I just finished eating some yummy, homemade (or should I say lively-made) sushi!

It is raw and fabulous!

Super easy recipe and perfect for this ungodly hot weather! Nori sheets wrapped around matchstick carrots, cucumbers, mung bean sprouts, avocado, and leeks. There is a sesame-tahini sauce in there too. It helped hold the Nori sheets together, but I don't have the recipe since I'm not at home. You could easily make any type of sauce to put inside the rolls.

Alright, now I need to go work on this film... Stay cool (if that is even possible).

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Moving (only down the street), but we still had to pack up all our shit. So, it counts. We are actually still in the process of finishing the new place up, but we (Adam, Lilly, and myself) love it so far! Now, Cliff is a different story. It took him a good 3 days to get his wimpy ass out from underneath our bed. Oh, and did I mention he barely ate that whole time? But, after 2+ weeks at the new he seems to be relaxing. Thank God.

Making a Local Food Film called 'Seed' for my practicum project for school. This film business turns out to be a wee bit more complicated than I naively thought...Although it is A BOATLOAD of stuff to learn and do, it is completely opening my eyes (even more) to local food and farmers' markets. So that is awesome!

I turned 25. Adam turned 25. We celebrated our 5 year anniversary, too! May is a busy month for celebrations!

Speaking of Adam, he finished his last in school year of pharmacy school! One more year of rotations, then 2 years of residency, and poof! He is a pharmacist! That merits another Thank God!

Last thing, but perhaps the one I am most excited about. We started a garden!!! HELL YES! Adam and I have been toying with the idea for a few years, but our old place's balcony never got enough sun. Enter, new house with a back patio that gets the good ol' morning sun! An innocent trip to the nursery (at 54 and Barbee) to get a tomato post thing turned into a civic-full load of new plants, soil, and pots! It all started with a friend giving me an heirloom tomato plant and some parsley. Then, at the nursery we got 4 cucumber plants (for $1.50!), 4 zucchini plants, 4 cute little ruffly lettuce plants, cilantro, basil, chives, and oregano. Plus, with the lemon thyme purchase at the Carrboro Farmers' Market, the generosity of a friend at school (a a tomato plant that has the VERY BEST tomatoes EVER), and some red pepper plant donations from the Meredith College garden, we have quite a spread! Everything seems to be thriving too. :)

Now onto the FOOOODDDD!

Currently, breakfast smoothies are on the back burner right now and eggs are on the front burner (literally). I have been using green garlic from the farmers' market, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and about 4 egg whites (from a farm in hillsborough-at Weaver St, these puppies were only $5 for 2 1/2 dozen! What!?! What!?!?!). Sometimes, I add a slice of Ezekiel bread for good measure. Here is the finished product:

Next up: Lunches and Dinners! Now, I have been trying to eat mostly raw, with some non-raw recipes sprinkled in. I'll talk about Raw Recipes first, because they all turned out quite FABULOUS!

Ambrosia (from The Raw Food Detox Diet book by Natalia Rose)

1 bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, sliced into matchstick pieces (FYI-I had some carrots to burn, so I added about 5 instead of just 1)

1 zucchini, sliced into matchstick pieces

1 large beet, sliced

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup apples, sliced or diced, however you like it

2 tbsp fresh ginger, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced

1/2 cup dried, unsulfured cranberries

1/2 cup sliced sunchokes (aka Jersulem artichokes)

1/4 cup of fresh mint

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro

As usual, mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve! Now, if you really want a SPECTACULAR dressing to go on top, make this:

Liquid Gold Elixir (from the same book)

2 cups fresh lemon juice

3 whole cloves garlic

3 tbsp minced ginger

3 tbsp Nama Shoyu (aka soy sauce)

3 tbsp raw honey

1 1/2 cups cold-pressed olive oil

Put all ingredients except the oil in a food processor and process. Slowly add the oil, until its completed blended. Put in jars and store in the fridge for up to a week!

Bring a pot to a rolling boil, add potatoes and cook until tender (about 10 mins). Add green beans to pot and cook for a super-quick 30 seconds. Drain and set aside. Make the dressing by whisking together mustard, vinegar, olive oil, sugar and salt in a bowl. In a skillet saute the dill with a splash of olive oil and stir in the leek. Saute until slightly crispy (4 minutes). In a big ass bowl, toss potatoes, green beans, celery, cucumber, tofu, chives, leek and dressing. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, whisk the olive oil, sesame oil, and Nama Shoyu together. Put the kale and coconut in a large bowl and spray with pam to lightly coat. Then toss with the oil mixture (in my case, since I used pam I just sprinkled Nama Shoyu on top). Spread kale mixture evenly on two baking sheets and bake for 12-18 minutes, until slightly browned. You can toss the finished product with a whole grain of your choice if you want. Serve warm.

Right: Kale. I didn't even get to try it because Adam woofed it down. Guess it's good...
Left: Arame Saute (see below)

Arame Saute (from Clean Food by Terry Walters)

1 cup dried arame

1 tsp grapeseed oil (C'mon, who has this? I used olive oil, and the recipe turned out fine)

2 small cipollini onions (Ok, don't know what those are either, so I used these tiny onion bulbs I got from the farmers' market)

4 carrots, julienned

1 cup peeled and julienned jicama (I had to be a super sleuth to find this, Harris Teeter had some)

Place arame in a bowl, cover with water and soak for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a skillet, saute onions in oil until soft. Add carrots, jicama, and snow peas and cook until al dente. Add arame and (in my case) teriakyi sauce and heat through. Remove from heat and toss with sesame seeds.

Whew! That was a long one! Most of these recipes were made earlier in the week, so I will be cooking more today. Stay tuned!

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About Me

I am a graduate student in nutrition. I live with my boyfriend, 2 cats, and a 60 gallon fish tank (with angel fish and silver dollars). I love to take care of everyone in our household. I think I turned into the housewife (er, house-girlfriend) that I never thought I would be. So, that is me-grocery shopping, laundry folding, studying me. If I have some alone time (which I always make sure I do), you can find me sweating it out in exercise class, listening to music, or sleeping. On a nutrition related note, school has taught me quite a bit about how food can affect the human body. I have been cooking clean meals for the last few years, but I wanted a change. An innocent chat about food with a friend over some wine and sushi, led to a complete lifestyle change. For 30 days (hopefully longer), I am going to switch from eating a balanced diet (cooked and with animal products) to a diet rich in raw foods (sans expensive kitchen machines). Let's see how it goes...